A Survivor is Born
by TheHemomancer
Summary: In the beginning, she was a naive, timid, frightened young woman with no idea of the real world around her. But when she goes to Yamatai, she becomes a tough, brave, and determined young woman, as well as a survivor. Lara's POV, semi-OOCness. Rated M for violence. Reyes/Roth, hints towards Sam/Lara. Set during Tomb Raider 2013, contains minor elements of Anniversary.


**This is my new story. It obviously isn't my first FanFic story, but it's my first Tomb Raider FanFic. This story begins sometime before the events of Tomb Raider (2013), the series' reboot. It features the Lara Croft from said game, as well as all of the characters from that game. It contains **_**minor **_**elements from Tomb Raider Anniversary. Since those two games are different in terms of their plot and the Lara that they feature, I couldn't figure out a way for those two games to smoothly work together. This story will be in Lara's POV, but I will consider writing some parts in Sam's POV.**

**This story is rated M for violence. Brief hints towards the Lara/Sam pairing will be present throughout this story, however, that will be made official by the sequel. Also, Sam will probably be a LOT more badass than she was in the game, as I hated how vulnerable she was during Tomb Raider (2013). Also, this story will probably not be very emotional. Well, there might be tearjerker parts, but it won't be as sad as Beyond: Two Souls. I apologise for any OOC-ness (Out of Character). **

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**Chapter I: A New Start**

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I woke up at 5:30 AM today. As I sat up on the bed and rubbed my eyes, I looked through my window, which I noticed was not shielded by the curtains. Damn it! I had forgotten to close them, _again_. Putting my unhappy thoughts aside, I noticed that it was a beautiful day outside. The sun was already out, and it's rays touched every little piece of the leaves, the grass, the trees, and the flowers. It was as though the sun shined over everything, like it was protecting the foliage. I probably should make time to go for a run today, considered how beautiful today is.

As I admire the scenery now, I remember how much my parents loved the outdoors. They were archaeologist-explorers, and both of them had a long list of findings under their belts.

It is as though the thought of my parents is enough to energize me, which is not surprising, considering that they were rather optimistic people, for now I am wide awake. My Uncle, Conrad Roth, always told me the good things about my parents. I wonder if what he says is true, or if it is just lies. He's not really my Uncle, I just call him that out of respect. He doesn't have any children of his own.

I sit up and stretch, slightly groaning as I do so. I then get out of bed and walk out into the long hallway that contains my bedroom, as well as that of Alex's and Sam's. Samantha Nishimura and Alex Weiss have been my best friends since the times of grade five. Both of them adapted quickly to the new school, and became friends with everybody through me, considering that I was rather popular.

My bedroom is at the very back of the house, and is quite far from Samantha's and Alex's rooms. As such, during sleepless nights, I can be as loud as I like. Hell, I can be as loud as I like at any time when I am in my room. And neither Sam or Alex can hear me. Or, if they do, they say nothing about it.

The walls of the corridor are painted white and are decorated with photos. The photos are of Samantha, Alex, and I whilst on hiking trips, or mountain climbs. The composition of each photo is excellent, so I have no doubt in my mind that Samantha took them. She's an excellent photographer, and filmmaker.

There is a long, pink carpet that extends from the outside of my bedroom to the end of the corridor. It is shaped like a red carpet, but nowhere near as 'flashy'. Underneath it is brown floorboards, which are present throughout the whole house.

I continue to walk through the corridor and come across Sam's bedroom. Her door is wide open, and I can see her laying in bed, looking very peaceful, serene, and relaxed. _Easy on the eyes_, I think. I've always had a little bit of a crush on Sam, to be honest. But I've never thought anything of it. I consider myself straight. I've only dated men, and lost it to a man.

It's things like this that make me panic a little. It's as though I always have to remind myself that I'm straight, whenever I begin to think of Sam, or another female that I find attractive. My parents aren't homophobic, and neither are Sam or Alex, or any of my friends, including Uncle Roth. However, my boss at work is homophobic…Yet I can tell she's a lesbian. Better yet, I _know _she is. I've seen her kissing her girlfriend – at least I think it's her girlfriend – at a work function. I caught them as I was leaving. She threatened me to never speak of it, or else I'd be fired…But if I do 'swap sides' and she gives me shit, I'll use that little piece of dirt to break her. She pretends to be homophobic in order to cover herself up.

I hear her stir and see her raise her head – those are signs that she is waking up. I quietly, yet quickly, walk away and continue heading to the kitchen. I'm not even _near _Alex's room, yet I can already hear the man's snoring. It's super annoying, but I've grown to adapt to it. Even so, I wish he would sort it out. I don't understand why he snores. He's not old, and he's not unhealthy or overweight.

The snoring is so unbearable to the point that I will not survive if I continue to walk at the rate at which I am currently doing so. I speed up, almost running through the corridor until I reach the main area. I head towards the couch, which I lie down on. I lazily reach out and grab the television remote, and turn on the TV to find The Simpsons. I absolutely _love _cartoons. They're hilarious, entertaining, and overall, brilliant. The Simpsons and Family Guy would have to be my favourites, as well as Spongebob Squarepants.

The room in which I am in is quite a big room. The walls are painted white, and like the corridor, they are decorated with picture frames that contain similar ones to the ones shown in the corridor. Near where I am is a medium-sized black table, which three chairs on the left and right sides, and then two extra chairs at each end of the table. The couch I am laying on is black, and near it is another couch. The arrangement of the couches is in an 'L' shape. On the floor space inbetween the two couches is a white carpet that has a glass table on it. The table is very simple, yet elegant. It has coasters on it, as well as books and magazines.

Near the table is the kitchen. It is a rather big kitchen, with a medium-sized opening that is located on the left. In the kitchen is a large pantry door that is a beige colour, which is the first 'door' which is the first 'door' one can have access to when they enter the kitchen. In there is where I keep all of the foods that do not need to be refrigerated. Near the pantry is a fridge, and directly next to the fridge is a freezer. Both are coloured white, and it's appearance is plain.

The kitchen bench is black and contains a sink. In the kitchen bench, there are six 'mini' cupboards that I use to store my cooking utensils. To the right of the kitchen bench is a stove. Near the stove is a mug-holder, that holds up to eight mugs. Next to the mug-holder is a small container-like object that contains a small box of matches, and near that is a red lighter, which sometimes decides not to work, hence why we keep some matches in case.

The small cabinet that contains the TV is also used to contain our albums, DVDs, and TV show boxsets, all of the ones that we have _not _illegally downloaded off of the internet. The albums are mostly rock, metalcore, deathcore, alternative, and punk rock. The bands among them are Brand New, Nirvana, Bring Me The Horizon, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Offspring, We Are The In Crowd, Nine Inch Nails, and Radiohead. Among the TV shows are mostly reality TV shows. I don't watch much television, I prefer to read books. But Sam loves to watch reality TV, which I consider to be the worst genre.

My attention on the room and it's décor shifts when I hear footsteps. I then see Samantha walk out of the corridor and into the main room. She bids me a good morning, and then walks over to the couch and, quite literally, flops onto the couch, right next to me. I let out an 'oomph' from the pain of her weight on me, especially since I recently recovered from a broken leg not that long ago. Even though it was a month ago, the pain still resides. It was all from that hiking trip we had in Mount Kosciusko, Australia…

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_December 10, 2012_

_Mount Kosciusko, Australia._

_Samantha and I had finally gotten off of our asses and gone to Mount Kilimanjaro. We were fully equipped with hiking gear – mountain bikes, climbing axes, heaps of food, water, and medical supplies to name a few. We decided to ride towards our destination, because it would be a lot quicker that way. I love riding bikes. My father taught me how to ride bikes when I was 6 years old. Best lesson ever._

_We were riding towards the Mountain. Samantha and I were almost there. But little did we know that there was a huge log in the middle of the path. I was ahead of Samantha, for I was a lot more enthusiastic about this than she was. And in my excitement, I forgot all about the log in the middle of the path. It was small, but it covered the whole path. _

"_Lara, watch out. There's a huge log in the middle of the path-" Samantha spoke. On our hiking trips, she was usually behind me, keeping watch for any possible dangers or hazards on our way. _

_But it was too late. I had already rode towards the log, at a high speed. The wheel rode over the log and I was in midair for a few seconds. That few seconds would prove to be very painful, because I ended up landing on my left knee. There was a horrid CRACK sound that was almost nauseating, to both Samantha and I. By this point, I was whimpering in pain, all because of my negligence. And I was going to pay for it. _

_Samantha got off of her bike, not without gasping beforehand, and rushed towards me. She grabbed my hand and looked at me, her face ridden with worry. "Are you okay, Lara? Where does it hurt?" _

_What I really do not understand about Samantha, is that she never gets angry at me for what I do, no matter how stupid or impulsive I can be. I suppose it's because we're adults, but then again, we've known each other for several years, and we always tell each other when to stop, and what's annoying. As best friends, we never keep secrets from each other. _

"_It hurts…it hurts…in my left knee. Did you not hear the crack?" My voice is strained with pain, and I struggle to stand. Samantha will probably call me silly, but giggle at the same time, and then she will tell me that it will be alright. _

"_It was silly, but I suppose that I should have warned you earlier. I could not see it before; I only saw it when we were almost in front of it. Please forgive me, Lara." _

_She always asks for my forgiveness, even though she knows that she will always have it. Samantha and I have never ever had a fight before, nor have we butted heads over something. I suppose it is because of the fact that we are completely honest with each other and do not keep secrets with each other, that our friendship is so healthy. _

"_You will always have my forgiveness, Samantha," I tell her. It is not the first time that I have told her this, but it's just Samantha being caring and helpful. I like this side to her, so who am I to object? _

_She smiles at me, "You'll be okay, Lara. Now, let's get you home. Don't worry about the bikes for now. I'll come back and get them later." I knew that she wouldn't. Something in my gut told me that she wouldn't._

_And she carried me, bridal style, from the bush to the nearest doctor, just for my leg. And then we walked back to our apartment. Within a few weeks, we had to return back to England. It was the most painful experience, and the longest one of them all. At least, for me anyway._

* * *

That little incident was probably the worst of them all. I had never broken or fractured a bone until that very moment. At twenty years old, an age at which my body had finished growing, I was so angry that it had to happen then and not during adolescence. Injuries take longer to heal as an adult, most likely because the body stops changing and growing.

"Hey!" I protest, earning a smile from Sam. "Get off, you're hurting me." She stuck her tongue out at me before getting off and sitting on the couch nearby, and like she did before, Samantha quite literally flopped down on it. I giggle; this side of Sam is a lot more humorous than the Sam that everybody sees. At times, she's rather materialistic and vain, but around Alex and I at home, she's very easy going and carefree. I wonder why that is; why she's different at home compared to what she's like around everybody else.

Soon, there's a commercial break, and in the midst of it, I hear footsteps coming from the corridor. It's Alex. He's finally woken up and decided to join us. Out of us three, Alex is the one that sleeps in, is lazy, eats a lot, and then goes out at night. It's almost like he's living like a rockstar. Except he's not a rockstar. He's a computer nerd.

"Good morning, Lara, Sam," Alex says, his voice groggy and strained with fatigue. Both Sam and I bid him a good morning in returning, except our voices are a lot more chirpy and happy in comparison to his. He sits down on the couch, next to me, but unlike Sam, he does not flop down onto the couch, but rather sits down like any normal person would. Thank God for that.

As we continue to watch cartoons, nobody speaks. But there is laughter from the funny incidents involving Bart and Homer. I can tell that some of us are beginning to grow hungry, as I can hear Alex's stomach growl, and my own stomach as well. I decide to wait until the cartoon is over before I cook breakfast. And before I know it, the episode of The Simpsons is over.

I stretch, and stand up. "So, are we all hungry? What do you guys want to eat?" My vocal input easily grabs the attention of both Sam and Alex. I suppose that it is because I'm talking about food, but that is not the point. The point is that Alex tries to _lie_…

"I'm not hungry, Lara," says Alex. I know it's a lie, because I could hear his stomach growl several times whilst we watched cartoons. Sam bursts out laughing from what he has just said, because, like me, she had heard it too. "You're joking, right? I heard your stomach growl more times than I could count! And you say you're not hungry…"

"I second that. But that's beside the point. What would you guys like to eat? We have pancakes, bacon, eggs, chipolatas, tomatoes…" I say as I rummage through the pantry, my voice trailing as I analyse the contents of the pantry. "We also have some plain English muffins, if you'd like."

"Mmmmmmm," Alex says, expressing his opinions of the foods that I have announced. "Some English muffins with egg sounds nice, Lara." Samantha laughs, and then nods. "I could go with some too, Lara." Since both Samantha and Alex want the same thing, I'll make myself some muffins too. I don't want to be washing too much dishes for no reason, and I'm not a very fussy eater.

"Alright, how much do the both of you want? We have eight muffins in this packet," I call out to them from the kitchen. Alex turns around to face me, "Two please." I nod and take out two muffins. "Just one please, Lara," Sam says. I take out another two; one for Sam, and one for myself.

I put all of the muffins in the grill and set it to 'TOASTER' and 'MAXIMUM'. Then, I take out a frypan and some oil, as well as four eggs. I crack the eggs and pour them into a small, blue bowl, and add some salt, pepper, chilli, and milk. I grab a fork and whip the eggs; not literally, of course. Once it's all mixed, I pour the oil into the frypan and pour the egg mix into it, and then I light the stove and turn the exhaust fan on. Then, I grab a wooden spoon from the drawers and stir the eggs around. Eggs cook fast, so this won't take long. I make sure to regularly check on the muffins to be sure that they do not burn. And they don't.

Before long, breakfast is served. I bring it to the table, as well as some glasses, and a bottle of milk. Neither of us drink coffee or tea, which is surprising because I'm English. But even so, I've never liked the taste. I find it to be too weak. And I find coffee to be too strong. Milk, however, tastes just right.

We all quickly eat our breakfast, and place our bowls and glasses in the sink. Alex then gets ready to go to University, whilst Sam gets ready to go to work. She works at some really expensive clothing shop, but she gives Alex and I clothes for discounted prices. She's been working there for quite a while, and she has never been caught before. I suppose it's because she _always _serves us; no other worker serves us.

Recently, Samantha and I applied for the City University of London. I, like my parents, wish to study Asian archaeology, whereas Samantha wishes to study filmmaking and photography. Alex is currently studying computing and software; I think that's what it's called. Sam and I had applied about two weeks ago, and since then, we've been frequently checking the mail to see if we've been accepted.

Since I work at a bar, I'm home all day. Therefor, I have a lot of free time. The mail gets delivered at about 11:00am, so I set an alarm for then on my phone. I'm really looking forward to college for some reason. I suppose it's because at college, nobody cares about what you look like. Everyone's nice, probably because the only think they care about is passing their units and earning a degree. I hope that's what college will be like for me.

I have a shower and get changed into a pair of black shorts and a blue sports bra. I intend on going for a run today, which is why I opted to wear something that is simple and easy for me to work out in. I'm already skinny, but I wish to tone up. I hope that my leg injury will not prevent me from going for a run. I will not let it.

I continue watching TV in order to pass the time. The alarm soon goes off, and I end up going outside to check the mailbox. I regret not wearing shoes, because outside, the ground is very, very hot. I quickly run to the mailbox and look through it to see two letters; one that is addressed to me, and one addressed to Sam. My eyes widen upon seeing that they are from the City University of London. I rush inside to open the letter addressed to me. Inside the letter is a piece of paper, stating that I have been accepted into the University and that it starts on February 2, 2013. I cannot contain my excitement. I decide to ring my Uncle Roth and tell him that I was accepted into University. I also send both Sam and Alex a message about it. I am congratulated by all three of them, and Samantha tells me to leave the letter in her bedroom. Uncle Roth tells me that my parents would be very proud of me. I know they would be. I just wish they could see me now.

The new year has already started off well. I cannot wait to see what else lies ahead in the new year. But my main focus will be on my education.

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**Forgive me for ending on a cliffhanger. Lol this chapter was probably boring, so again forgive me. I read somewhere (I think it was WikiRaider or Lara Croft Wikia) that Lara listens to bands like U2 and Nine Inch Nails. Also, I don't know if Lara and Roth are **_**actually **_**related. Sam probably seems OOC, flopping on couches and all, but I did warn for OOC-ness. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, though. I will update as soon as I can. **

**Also, if you're wondering about how they bought all of the gear for their hiking trip, they purchased it in Australia. Sorry if it wasn't clear, which it probably wasn't, since I was too lazy to somehow incorporate it in.**


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